The present invention generally relates to a flip-flop for a computing device, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a flip-flop for a computing device that utilizes energy recovery to reduce power consumption.
Conventional computing systems utilize a plurality of flip-flops in conjunction with a clock signal generating circuit. The flip-flops store binary states, such as 1""s and 0""s contingent on the absence or presence of a voltage or charge in the flip-flop. The binary states, read or written in the flip-flops, are then used for combinational boolean logic for operation and calculation procedures in the computing system. When writing a logic state in the flip flop by a device external to the flip flop is desired, an oscillating voltage or clock signal operates the flip fop to cause a voltage value representative of the stored state to be stored to be written to the latching circuit in the flip-flop, latch the voltage value and hold it available for reading devices external to the flip-flop. The clock signal is commonly a square wave that drives a gate of a transistor of the flip-flop. A clock signal generating circuit, external to the flip-flops, generates the signal to effectuate read, write and timing processes in the computing device. The square or abrupt signal drives the gates of transistors in the flip-flop to turn them on and off in a relatively quick manner.
While this structure effectively allows a computing system to effectuate reading of stored logic states contained within the flip-flops, drawback exists. Specifically, only a portion of a computing system""s flip-flops are actually read during any given read request. The remainder, however, still receive the clock signal. Commonly, the energy of the clock signal driving the unread flip-flops is dissipated therein, thereby creating energy inefficiencies and increased heat dissipation. When this dissipation effect is multiplied with the numerous flip-flops contained within a computing device, the overall efficiency of that computing device is compromised. The present invention was developed in light of these and other drawbacks.
A flip-flop includes a charge storage area that stores a logic voltage indicating a logic state of the flip-flop, a first transistor having a source or drain connected to a clock signal generating circuit, a second transistor having a source or drain connected to the clock signal generating circuit, a clock signal generated by the clock signal generating circuit that is ramped or sinusoidal, and a latching circuit that latches a latch voltage value based on voltages at the first transistor and the second transistor. The charge storage area supplies a first voltage representing a state of the storage voltage to a gate of the first transistor and supplies a second voltage to a gate of the second transistor.
Other aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reviewing the drawings and the detailed description below.